Below is an Inspirations Web outlining my Personal Learning Network. The items that are outlined by a square or rectangle are those networking links which are in my own school and the ones in an oval are those outside my school. I use many internet sites for research on a daily basis, but those that I have listed are the ones I use very often. Colorin Colorado and Reading Rockets are sites that are very helpful when gathering materials for parental involvement activities.
The website for the New Jersey Department of Education is also very helpful especially in our current work making the transition to the Common Core State Standards. I have been in a transitionary, training period, preparing for a new position as a Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, so recent monthly meetings of all of the Curriculum Supervisors of Cape May County have been, and will continue to be very important for me. They have provided up-to-date information related to the expectations of the New Jersey Department of Education. We are also in the process with this group of working on aspectsof a county-wide curriculum.
In our school we meet as grade level teams every day for a 20 minute articulation period to discuss various topics related to instruction, students, etc. Montly we also have vertical articulation with other grade levels. This enables us to identify gaps in the curriculum or needs for future instruction.
We have had a PLC focused on writing instruction in grades K-5 for the past two school years which is guided by a consultant from Seton Hall University. This PLC has provided us with exemplars for student writing, rubrics, and improved instructional strategies. We have been provided with release time to grade student work as grade levels. This professional development has allowed us to standardize our expectations and grading processes across all grade levels.
The ASCD is an organization that provides excellent professional books which my principal often shares with me and in my new position I will be a member. I find their publications very useful and many of them provide ideas that are readily applicable to the classroom and school.
The International Reading Association provides research based information on all literacy related topics. This was the first educationally based professional organization I joined many years ago, and I still enjoy reading The Reading Teacher, among other publications, and using it as a resource for current topics in reading.
A website that I use almost daily is Google Language Tools. As part of my job, I often have to translate documents into Spanish, or to speak Spanish with parents and students, and this is a great website for looking up words and phrases as well as confirming that translations that I have done are correct. I would often be lost without Google Language Tools.
The New Jersey Network to Close the Achievement Gap is a joint effort of EIRC and the University of Pennsylvania. The Network provides professional development on the topic of the the Achievement Gap for teachers and administrators. They provide excellent, nationally known presenters and their mission is one that is vital to the goals of my school district.
I find that keeping in touch with colleagues from previous school districts and professors that I have had is one of the most helpful aspects of my PLN. For the past six years, I worked under the Reading First Grant, and during that time, had the opportunity to attend monthly professional development at the state level. These meetings allowed me to meet teachers, coaches, and administrators from around New Jersey and to develop a network of professional contacts that I continue to maintain.
The website for the New Jersey Department of Education is also very helpful especially in our current work making the transition to the Common Core State Standards. I have been in a transitionary, training period, preparing for a new position as a Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, so recent monthly meetings of all of the Curriculum Supervisors of Cape May County have been, and will continue to be very important for me. They have provided up-to-date information related to the expectations of the New Jersey Department of Education. We are also in the process with this group of working on aspectsof a county-wide curriculum.
In our school we meet as grade level teams every day for a 20 minute articulation period to discuss various topics related to instruction, students, etc. Montly we also have vertical articulation with other grade levels. This enables us to identify gaps in the curriculum or needs for future instruction.
We have had a PLC focused on writing instruction in grades K-5 for the past two school years which is guided by a consultant from Seton Hall University. This PLC has provided us with exemplars for student writing, rubrics, and improved instructional strategies. We have been provided with release time to grade student work as grade levels. This professional development has allowed us to standardize our expectations and grading processes across all grade levels.
The ASCD is an organization that provides excellent professional books which my principal often shares with me and in my new position I will be a member. I find their publications very useful and many of them provide ideas that are readily applicable to the classroom and school.
The International Reading Association provides research based information on all literacy related topics. This was the first educationally based professional organization I joined many years ago, and I still enjoy reading The Reading Teacher, among other publications, and using it as a resource for current topics in reading.
A website that I use almost daily is Google Language Tools. As part of my job, I often have to translate documents into Spanish, or to speak Spanish with parents and students, and this is a great website for looking up words and phrases as well as confirming that translations that I have done are correct. I would often be lost without Google Language Tools.
The New Jersey Network to Close the Achievement Gap is a joint effort of EIRC and the University of Pennsylvania. The Network provides professional development on the topic of the the Achievement Gap for teachers and administrators. They provide excellent, nationally known presenters and their mission is one that is vital to the goals of my school district.
I find that keeping in touch with colleagues from previous school districts and professors that I have had is one of the most helpful aspects of my PLN. For the past six years, I worked under the Reading First Grant, and during that time, had the opportunity to attend monthly professional development at the state level. These meetings allowed me to meet teachers, coaches, and administrators from around New Jersey and to develop a network of professional contacts that I continue to maintain.